As a huge Zelda fan, Skyward Sword had my attention, through the times that everyone was hating on the graphics, up through the hype train as it was garnering 10s from unexpected publications. Regardless of how others felt at the time, I wanted it, and I wanted it bad. However, when I finally got my hands on it, I had a few preconceived notions. I was expecting big things from the controls, even bigger things from the story, and was also prepared for a somewhat differently constructed game. These ideas had been thrown around IGN and elsewhere and these were my expectations. Did I think I would like it more than Ocarina of Time? Frankly no, because that game had a magic that would take a miracle to achieve. But I still had high expectations.

As I finally saw the credits roll, my head was swamped with mixed feelings. Part of me was saying, "That's it? I want even more!!". Another part was saying, "Wow, that was an amazingly well constructed game". Yet another was murmuring, "Hmm, that was fun but....". Skyward Sword is a tough game to process and say "Is this good" or "It's better than this game". It's just so different on so many levels, yet so familiar. Quite simply, it just has to be experienced.

All in all, I think Skyward Sword is a fantastic game that is the product of years of thought from some of the best game developers in the world. It is so well made, so obviously tweaked to perfection, that you can tell Nintendo was aiming for the very top with this one. It retains many of the features, constructs, and feelings that make Zelda so adored, while innovating in the more functional and experiential parts, preventing it from feeling old and rehashed like most games out there. And yet, it just is missing something. Somewhere in all the perfectly built areas and wonderfully tweaked AI, the game was missing that sense of magic and awe that nearly every Zelda has. That feeling when you first walk out into Hyrule field. That feeling as you sink into the depths and suddenly see Hyrule Castle. That feeling of just wondering the landscape on your horse. While the game was dishing out amazing gameplay in spades, the intangibles just seemed to be lacking a bit.

Let&#Array;s dive right in!

I don't know exactly the reason for this, but perhaps it can be uncovered looking at all the bits and parts of this massive game. Obviously, controls are the most noticeable change. And they work. Please don't argue that. It's responsive, especially sword play, and totally changes this franchise for the better. Going back to Twilight Princess, I was attempting to guide my sword before realizing that for whatever reason, the direction your moving determined the direction of your blade back in the old system. Trying to swat bats out of the air, I forgot that I have to lock on and waggle (or mash B) away until my sword lands a hit. Simply put, I do not want to go back to the old method of sword combat. And all the extra little uses just fill in the usage of the Wiimote. Most of it works, even if it doesn't add a whole lot, and greatly simplifies control. All this whining about calibration can be put to rest, as I never once needed recalibrate. Recenter my cursor, yes, but that's because it's designed to not force you to face the TV. This wonderfully relieves you of having to "find" the IR sensor bar every time you want to aim or look around. Hopefully you can see that the motion controls really make Zelda new again, and as Rich said, I don't want to go back.

Items are incredibly balanced and well used. You&#Array;ll be using them all throughout the entire game, all with very unique and effection motion controls

The other thing that changed the most? The pacing and construct of the game. The main focus is no longer on dungeons and temples, but rather everything. Every bit of land is used for some puzzle, some battle, some type of action somewhere in the adventure. No longer are you always pushing into new territory, but rather finding new, hidden secrets in places you've already visited. Opening up passages to locations that you walked past last time. It's a very different take on the Zelda formula and really focuses the game on well, the game. You're constantly having to do something and every corner could have a secret. The dungeons are actually quite short now, but it feels fine since you've been solving puzzles and fighting enemies for hours already anyway. And these mini dungeons call upon some great puzzles in their own right, and yes, the final dungeon is absolutely brilliant. It totally caught me off guard, but wow. That thing was crazy. Along with these dungeons are definitely some of the best boss battles. They're not the greatest, most fearsome foes, but the fight themselves are creative, challenging, and immensely satisfying.

Bosses, both big and small, are some of the most fun and satisfying. And weird...

Really that goes with every enemy you fight. So unlike Twilight Princess and really every Zelda, every enemy you fight is a little challenge. Because of the motion plus sword combat, you actually have to think about fighting, as enemies watch your sword placement and defend appropriately. It's immensely satisfying, if a bit tough at first. But you feel like you're constantly getting better, even as enemies continually grow in difficulty and change in strategy. Yet, it rarely is frustrating. As I said, the controls just work, and in the same way, the AI is tweaked to just work with those new controls.

Fighting foes such as these actually takes skill now and provides some of the most fun challenges thanks to the excellent motion controlled combat

Hopefully your seeing what I mean that this game is well constructed. Everything is thought out, pieced together, and works together. It's fresh content, fresh ideas, and really pushes the legendary franchise in a new direction. But I stated it before: it was just missing a little bit of something. That magic that is often the reason Nintendo games are so unique and so incredible. Perhaps it was the suffocated story, with so much potential but that got stagnated due to so much overwhelming gameplay content. Hours of gameplay separated some fantastic cut scenes and story developments that it felt incredibly staggered and not smooth. Perhaps it was the lack of much to really explore and adventure, a staple of the franchise that basically defines the adventure genre. While there's a ton to do, sometimes you just want to go out in a vast plain and take in the sights. Perhaps it was just too different, making it not feel like a Zelda game anymore. Maybe the soundtrack just didn't stand out, despite it's use of an orchestra. The graphics were excellent, clean despite the lack of HD, but maybe in this day an age we need something to really wow us. I don't really know, and if you have any ideas, please let me know.

Art certainly wasn&#Array;t lacking

And that was my experience with the latest chapter in arguably the greatest franchise in gaming. Everything in it suggests that it should probably be the best game of all time. I've never seen something so unique and different, so well constructed, planned out, and full of content. Yet, it seems to miss a few beats somehow and just not blow me away like it seems it should. I never really went, "Wow" like I did with Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, Majora's Mask, and even Twilight Princess. My game of the year? Yes, though it wasn't really up against incredibly stiff competition. But at the same time, I think I was more "wowed" by Battlefield 3's destruction and intensity, despite it's technical mess, terrible campaign, and infuriating spawning. There was a bit more magic even in Uncharted 3's crazy stunts.

It's just so hard to describe but there you have it. I implore that everyone play this game for themselves and see if that's what they feel. It's such a well made game that I think everyone needs to play it, but I just can't say it will blow your mind or capture that magic you may be expecting by such a game.

Well I'm back with yet another awesome character in my countdown. Some may disagree with this choice, but I'm standing behind her.

27. Tetra (The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker)

Major Spoilers below, but if you haven't played this game, shame on you!!

The Zelda franchise is full of many characters, but most of them are paper thin and play a fairly minimal role, whether it be selling masks or floating on a balloon, freaking people out. Wind Waker really brought a change to that with some surprisingly deep and interesting characters, not the least of which was Tetra and her band of pirates. However, I wasn't always so fond of her.

I remember seeing the first screens and like most people, was fairly disgusted at the style. And what the heck were these little kid pirates doing in the game? And why is their leader look like an 8 year old girl? I was put off by Tetra and her band, to say the least but that quickly changed as the story progressed. The way we see the relationship between her and Link change from "Oh jeez, why do we have to help this stupid kid wearing stupid clothes" to a much closer friendship is brilliant and not your standard Zelda. Tetra really does start off quite pissed that she has to take care of this crazy kid after his sister, but transforms to really relying on him and them helping each other out. However, I just thought she would end up being a nice little side character like Saria or something.

Boy was I wrong. **SPOILERS!!!**

Whaaaat?!?! That pirate is Zelda?!

**In what was one of the most ingenious plot twists in all of gaming, Tetra is found to be the heir to Zelda. I still can't decide what was more mind blowing: seeing Hyrule Castle underwater or Tetra turn into Zelda. Wind Waker was just chock full of surprises and Tetra's identity definitely was one of the best. It was so well executed as well. I did have even the smallest suspicion. But before I knew it, there she was, standing before me in that distinct pink dress.

And it's not like she turned into a mindless princess, end of story. From the get go, Tetra has no idea what to make of it. A pirate is the long lost heir to Zelda? She was just as thrown off as we were and her reactions felt real. However, she didn't run from her responsibilities. Instead, like a true pirate, she faced the challenge head on, making her my favorite Zelda of the series. No more getting captured and then just sitting there. No, she joined you on the front lines against Ganondorf. It was great to have a helping hand in the battle and just made Tetra that much more of an awesome character.**

Zelda's actually doing something!

No, Tetra isn't a fascinating character with a huge, complex back-story. Instead she has an awesome current-story which I'd say is much more important. Going from fearless pirate to a princess is no simple task, yet she meets the challenges head on and easily makes my list.

What is up, My IGN? Wait, who am I? Oh, yes, I have been gone for awhile, I guess . Well, in case you forgot who I am, I'm NatyConnor (or just, Naty) and a couple weeks ago, I noted I had started playing through A Link to the Past on GBA. Being from the N64 generation and on, I missed many, many SNES classics, including this one, so when Nintendo started making remakes on GBA, my dreams had come true. I quickly bought A Link to the Past, along with my brother so we could play multiplayer together. However....I can't remember much more than that. For whatever reason, A Link to the Past, wasn't that memorable for me back then; I remember quickly getting to Aganhim, struggling a bit to beat him, but eventually felling the evil wizard. Then going into the Dark World for a bit.....and that's it.

So I decided to right that wrong a few weeks ago and start up A Link to the Past again. Apparently I got pretty far before, as I had 10 hearts, but I just went to a new game...and my glorious adventure began. Right from the outset, I was pulled into Hyrule. The ominous beginning, with rain pouring, and the castle under siege, is by far the most climactic beginning to a Zelda game I've ever played. Usually, your in some small village or such, and are slowly taught the controls. Not here; you are immediately thrust into the action, and I loved it. However, I also quickly found the thing that might have turned me off the game so many years ago: SNES era hit detection. Really, this is one of the reasons I prefer 3D Zelda over 2D. Hit detection can sometimes be just a bit off, with your sword not registering hits when just at the wrong angle. Together, with the fact that you usually end up inside the enemy if they hit you, combat was just a bit frustrating from time to time. If I messed up, especially with multiple enemies, I'd usually end up with several hearts down, as I attempted get away from enemies I swore I should have killed.

However, I must say, this was an occasional problem, and one that rarely affected much. And basically everything else about the game has been absolutely fantastic. First off, the dungeons are for the most part, absolutely amazing. First thing I noticed was the very different pacing from more recent Zeldas. Dungeons were a good deal shorter, but more numerous, and I must say I liked this change of pace. It allowed much better variety and kept dungeons from getting frustrating if you died in the middle and had to trek all the way to where you were, as can happen in more recent ones. And, of course, the puzzles were excellent, as expected, some of them really twisting my head, especially the floor switch panels. My only complaint with the dungeons, so far, is how far bosses can be from the beginning from the dungeon. This seems trivial, but the bosses are actually pretty difficult, and having to go through a large portion of the dungeon, and likely losing a number of hearts along the way, is definitely a slight lack of foresight in design, but I suppose I can't blame them, since they obviously didn't want this to be a pushover of a game.

Excellent dungeon puzzles

Speaking of difficulty, for the most part, it is excellently tuned. You get the Master Sword just as enemies start getting tough, and then can refine it just as things start getting overwhelming. However, I have just started the Ice Temple, and enemies are absolutely brutal, and I don't know if that's intended or if I haven't gotten an item I need. Other than that, though, the difficulty is excellent, which is a nice change of pace since more recent Zeldas have been rather easy, especially their bosses.

Beyond the dungeons though, there is an incredible over-world. I have to say, this is one of the points where 2D Zeldas win over 3D; 2D over-worlds just have so many excellent secrets all over the place. Especially with the Light/Dark World combo, there is no end to the amazing secrets you can find, especially Heart Pieces. 3D Zeldas just seem to have so much open space that they can't fill it up as well as 2D Zeldas, I guess.

A fantastic Hyrule, full of secrets

Don't get me wrong, I love both kinds, but I'd rank this Hyrule above Ocarina of Time; that's number 2, only to Minish Cap, which is quite amazing as I loved Hyrule in Ocarina of Time. There is just so much to do and see in this one that it beats its sequel.

Dark World is just as awesome

Additionally, I must note one thing that I really never noticed before: hints. I have to say, nearly every Zelda game (and really, Nintendo game) seems to have some type of sight-seer with a crystal ball, to tell you where to go next. I proudly have always avoided them, to find my own way. However, you just can't do that in this game, as you really were never told where to go next. Heck, I didn't know about the flippers until maybe 5 dungeons in, and was completely stuck and had to look online, where I was apparently supposed to get them before the Master Sword. The reality is, these hints are in the game for a reason: you aren't told where to go. I always found them just a cheap way out, but with these older games, narrative was just so much slimmer and you were never really told where to go next, other than these hints. Just an interesting observation I made, comparing this game to the newer ones.

And that's about it so far. As I said before, I'm on the Ice Temple and am quite stuck. Just can't seem to survive for long. However, with Thanksgiving in a couple days, I shall try and push on to the finish line. If you read all the way through this, thanks, and let me know what you thought of the game, especially if you completed it. No spoilers please, of course, but just let me know what you thought. I know this is often considered one of the best games of all time, and some even consider it even better than Ocarina of Time. While I wouldn't put it over OoT, I must say I am enjoying myself so far, and will probably have to change up my Top 50 Games List XD.

Perhaps in a week or so, I'll post my thoughts on Morrowind so far, another game I started playing through. And once I beat BioShock, I'll also try to get a review of that out in some sort.

Well, I've been seeing a lot of blogs about people's favorite game music scores, genres in general and just a lot about music (which is great!). However, I wanted to kind of open up even more. Do any of you play an instrument? If so what, and what do you like to play? If not, what instrument would you like to play? Note, that I would count 'play' as you can proficiently read music or improvise easily, not just play 4 chords on guitar. Why? Well, I guess I'll take this question and talk a bit about myself.

I play violin, and have been since I was 3 (yep you read that right. I'm not sure how I did it either ). That's 16 years for me. Like most violinists, I started learning classical music. Yep, Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, you name it, I've probably played it. I also joined the Sacramento Youth Symphony when I was 8, starting in their beginner's orchestra. So beyond the beginner solo music I learned as I grew up, I also played a lot of orchestral music. Doing both really reinforced my musical abilities and while I often didn't like to practice back then, I'm sure glad I did it now. I now can at least somewhat play some of the great violin pieces, such as Beethoven's Violin Concerto, and Bach's Violin Sonatas. Not only are they challenging and musically complex, they're just fun to play.

I'm guessing few of you are into classical music (that's just how it is these days) and know very little about it (but if you are into it, let me know in the comments!!). Most people just find it 'boring', yet find four chords repeated over and over again interesting. Please tell me, is this 'boring'? (Go to 7:48)

I could probably put several hour of music on here of classical pieces that are just awesome to listen to and to play, but I'll spare you. Except for this: Bach's Solo Violin Sonata No. 1, Fugue. This is a personal favorite of mine to play.

I'm not trying to preach classical music here, just trying to introduce it to more people. And really, I think we all enjoy classical music in one way or another, considering how widely it is used in movies and especially video games. Really, all the greatest game soundtracks are fully orchestrated, playing epic classical pieces (SMG for example. Man that soundtrack is amazing to listen to!). Same goes with movies. Heck, I bet you didn't know the Jaws theme is from Dvořák's New World Symphony (Which is a blast to play). Yep, 4th movement starts with that ominous theme. So I guess, I just want to point out how I think many of us do enjoy classical music in some type of medium, just perhaps not listening to it casually.

However, possibly even better than me just learning to enjoy classical music is the fact that I can basically make up music as well as imitate music I've heard a lot. Case in point, video game music. While I think it's pretty simple, it just feels good when people freak out when I start playing the Mario Bros. theme or Hyrule Field on my violin and say how 'awesome' it is. It's this ability that is really great and fun since I can easily connect with people that love video games instead of trying to explain to them how great classical music is. So I guess I'll use this time to show a cool video of me playing some violin with some friends. I posted in my first blog, but now that I have quite a few more followers, hopefully more people can see this.

We have other videos as well so check 'em out if you want!

So yeah, just some of the great things playing an instrument can provide. So what do you guys play (or wish you could)? I'm interested to see!!!